LEC Matchup of the Week: Ice vs Hans Sama

Today, Saturday, June 8, marks the return of the biggest League of Legends competition in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa: the LEC. This Summer Split is the last segment of the season and will determine which six teams will advance to the 2024 LEC Season Finals in Munich. The top three teams in the LEC Season Finals will represent the EMEA region at Worlds 2024.

To kick off this initial week of the Summer Split, Sheep Esports have chosen a standout match among the three days of competition. For us, the G2 vs. BDS match is a highlight , particularly the botlane matchup: Yoon "Ice" Sang-hoon vs. Steven "Hans Sama" Liv.

The matchup between Ice and Hans Sama is expected to be interesting and highly competitive. Although they don't play in a solo lane, the performances of their respective supports, Labros "Labrov" Papoutsakis and Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle, will be crucial in tipping the scales. We know from experience that both AD Carries have shone individually this year in the LEC.

Proof of this is the Winter Split, during which the entire Split Team was made up of G2 Esports players, with Hans Sama being named the best ADC of the competition by the experts. However, at the Spring Split, Ice joined the Split Team, overtaking Hans Sama despite not qualifying for the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2024.
If their individual performances have been excellent so far, this final Split will give them the opportunity to battle it out for the title of best ADC in the LEC.

In terms of experience, Hans Sama has been competing at the highest level for much longer than Ice. Hans Sama began competing in 2015 and joined Misfits in June 2016, where he spent three years, leaving us with memorable moments like the 2017 Worlds series against SKT with the famous Fervor Leona.
Meanwhile, at that time, Ice was 16 years old and had not yet entered the competitive scene. His debut came in 2019 with SANDBOX Academy, and he managed to compete in the 2022 LCK Summer Split as Liiv SANDBOX's Botlaner. In 2023, he arrived in Europe with Zero Tenacity and made a meteoric rise, becoming the starting ADC for BDS in the LEC in 2024, and establishing himself as one of the best in the league.

In addition, Hans Sama knows what it takes to win, though it took some time for him to get there. Back in his time with Rogue, in 2020 and 2021, he won several regular seasons, but when it came to playoffs, they were eliminated, finishing in third place. That was enough to qualify for Worlds, but he did not lift the LEC trophy. A similar pattern occurred in the LCS, with the notable difference that he won the LCS 2022 Lock In. He then returned to the LEC with G2 Esports, and the rest is history, winning and dominating every split since his return, with the exception of the 2023 Spring Split.

Regarding their champion pools, both players exhibit a wide variety of champions that they can play, adapting to the needs of the team and the meta. The main difference could be Hans Sama’s specialty: the French ADC is known for his great skill with Draven, boasting a 100% win rate in the LEC this year. Notably, Draven received buffs during this break period. The last patch played in the LEC was 14.6, and Draven received a buff in 14.8, increasing the damage of his Q spell. In the latest patch 14.11, the champion also benefited a buff on his passive. Draven could be a very strong pick for the G2 ADC, especially with the new patch being active in the LEC this week.

Interestingly, Ice has not played Jinx, one of Hans Sama’s most-played champions with a high win rate and good KDA. Conversely, Hans Sama has not locked in any Xayah, which is the fourth most-played champion for Ice.

The head-to-head comparison can be tricky, as League of Legends is a 5v5 game, and individual statistics can vary based on teammates' performances. The average KDA for Ice against Hans Sama in 2024 is 2.0, while the French ADC boasts a KDA of 6.0, three times higher.

Interestingly, by the 14-minute mark, Ice averages more gold than Hans Sama, with 5633 gold compared to Hans Sama's 5535.

Let's see how this matchup goes on Monday June 10 at 6pm (CEST).